Press releases

29 Apr 2026 Mr Tim Mitchell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), said: “This legislation is a once in a lifetime opportunity to finally end the scourge of smoking. "

24 Apr 2026 Surgeons respond to study finding widespread cancellations and postponements of NHS elective surgery

23 Apr 2026 Surgeons have warned that patients in Wales are still waiting too long for surgery, as the latest NHS waiting times data – the last to be published before the Senedd election on 7 May – highlights the scale of the challenge awaiting the next Welsh Government.

20 Apr 2026 Patients face a postcode lottery in accessing robotic-assisted surgery on the NHS, new analysis by the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) has revealed. Published today at the Future of Surgery Festival (20-21 April), the data – the first publicly-available national picture of how surgical robots are being used across England – shows that, despite national guidance from NHS England, there are major differences in how the technology is funded, distributed and used across NHS trusts in England.

16 Apr 2026 With data due to be published next month revealing whether the NHS has met the interim target of 65% of patients starting treatment within 18 weeks by March 2026, the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) has warned that progress on NHS waiting times remains fragile without sustained investment in surgical capacity.

14 Apr 2026 More than a third of medical references generated by some widely used artificial intelligence (AI) platforms may be fabricated, according to a new study published in The Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

25 Mar 2026 Responding to the Public satisfaction with the NHS and social care in 2025 report from The King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust, Mr Tim Mitchell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), said: “For 45% of respondents, improving waiting times for planned operations remains a top priority – a clear sign patients are still waiting too long for the care they need.

20 Mar 2026 New Senedd Election manifesto from surgeons urges next Welsh Government to expand surgical capacity and deliver a long-term workforce plan With new NHS Wales waiting time figures out yesterday, surgeons warn that Wales risks slipping further behind the rest of the UK unless progress on surgical hubs and workforce growth accelerates.

04 Mar 2026 Surgeons say the latest waiting times data in Northern Ireland show welcome progress, but transparency is needed on whether increased surgical activity is driving these reductions.

02 Mar 2026 New research published in The Bulletin of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) has found that women make up just 6.2% of surgeons working across the UK’s five largest private hospital groups, compared with 16.9% in the NHS.